Film Review: The Shining

"I'm Sorry To Differ With You Sir, But You Are The Caretaker. You've Always Been The Caretaker..."

In a year where the works of Stephen King have seemed to have taken siege upon both the big screen and the small, the re-release of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining ironically seeks out to remind how much the horror masterpiece differs from its' ghostly source material, and whilst King himself has famously distanced himself from the 1980 classic on a moral level, the haunting ambiguity and off-kilter tonal essence of Kubrick's classic once again reminds why such a movie is always part of the conversation when discussing the greatest and most influential horror movies of all time. Published in January of 1977, King's third novel quickly followed the breakout successes of Carrie and Salem's Lot, and whilst the story on the surface primarily focuses on the horrors of the Overlook Hotel and the toll it takes on the Torrance family, the underlying notions of alcoholism and regret mirrored the struggles of the novel's own during that period of time, resulting in The Shining being arguably King's most personal work up to that date, creating an understandable air of indifference from King to a movie released only three years later which decided to focus primarily on the supernatural elements of the novel rather than the subplots regarding familial tensions and the conflicted leading character of Jack Torrance to a larger extent portrayed on film. Thankfully for Kubrick, his version of The Shining is arguably more terrifying than one could have envisioned when adapting King's story from page to screen, thanks primarily to a typically maddened performance from Jack Nicholson whose portrayal of the writer's block inflicted father will arguably go down as his most iconic and memorable role within a career which goes down with arguably one of the greatest ever. 

Whilst the casting of Nicholson seemed to many at the time to be one of ease over exploration, with Nicholson's Oscar winning performance as Randle McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest already showcasing Nicholson's penchant for portraying the slightly insane, the guidance of Kubrick as the film's master of puppets resulted in a live-action Jack Torrance which seeped with uncertainty and ferocious ingrained rage from beginning to end. With Shelley Duvall as the repressed, doe-eyed Wendy Torrance on Nicholson's arm and the youthful appearance of Danny Lloyd as son, Danny, a child afflicted with the titular mysterious power as coined by Scatman Crothers' Dick O'Halloran, Kubrick's take on the already well established horror genre is arguably his most auteurist within a filmography which puts most recent filmmakers to shame, and whilst the likes of 2001: A Space Odyssey and Dr Strangelove proved the widening spectrum of Kubrick's work, his OCD-esque tendency for frame-by-frame perfection and famously subverted workings of actors, sets and camera usage is no more apparent than in The Shining, a film, which not unlike the book, has a surface narrative regarding one man's descent into darkness but underneath is filled with famously hidden notions which ranged from everything from Kubrick's stance on the moon landing to a comment regarding the massacring of native American indians. 

Of course, the discussion regarding the hidden elements of Kubrick's masterpiece is not exactly hot topic for most, and when reviewing the movie on just cinematic grounds, The Shining is near flawless, a ice-cold spook-a-thon which although was aware of previous examples of the genre such as The Haunting and more obviously, The Amytiville Horror, broke new ground in its' ghostly balance between psychological horror and flat out slasher, one which is all helmed together by the performance of Nicholson and arguably the most impressive batch of iconic set pieces to ever grace the genre of horror. Whether it be Danny's meeting with the mysterious visitor in Room 237, the image of two deceased twins or of course, the legendary, improvised line of "here's Johnny", The Shining is a rare case of a movie which although is a shadow of the source material of which I am undoubtedly a huge fan, is undoubtedly a masterwork in its' own way, and with the chance to see Kubrick's movie on the big screen for the very first time this week, such an opportunity is one which film fans in general cannot pass by.

Overall Score: 10/10

Film Review: Alien

"Ash, That Transmission... Mother's Deciphered Part Of It. It Doesn't Look Like An S.O.S..."

In preparation for what can only be regarded as Ridley Scott's last chance to revive the Alien series once and for all after the middling mediocrity which was 2012's Prometheus, cinema chains across the country are gearing us Xenomorph lovers up for Alien: Covenant with the re-release of the greatest science-fiction horror of all time in the form of the original 1979 Ridley Scott classic which for many, including myself, will be the very first time to witness the menacing threat of the first and very best entry of the everlasting Alien franchise upon the big screen. When it comes to the dissection of such a monumental piece of cinema, the release of Alien came at a time in which a 42 year old Ridley Scott was fresh and ready to begin his second high-profile cinematic release after the completion of the 1977 historical drama The Duellists, and with a script in-hand from American writer Dan O'Bannon, the journey onto the Nostromo was well and truly underway. Assembling a cast which featured an already well-versed acting talent in the form of Tom Skerritt, the Oscar nominated John Hurt and a leading star of Invasion of the Body Snatchers only one year previous in the form of Veronica Cartwright, Ridley Scott's had already embraced a solid acting staple to work from, yet unbeknown to possibly him at the time, the real ace in the hole was the seemingly unknown figure of Sigourney Weaver who in her portrayal of Ellen Ripley created a character who still to this day is as iconic as anyone in the entire backdrop of cinematic history.

With a narrative which is original as it is intelligent and rational, with each of the individual characters having enough solid background and personality to make choices and decisions that are both understandable and lifelike throughout the course of their torment upon the Nostromo, Scott takes the paranoid ambiguity of O'Bannon's script and treats it with equal portions of precision and care, with the real mesmerising features of witnessing Alien on the big screen for the first time dialling down to elements which on the small screen can sometimes be missed and washed over. These outstanding big-screen elements include a wickedly sharp sound design from renowned composer Jerry Goldsmith, one which encompasses the dark and grungy feel of the on-board surroundings of both the Nostromo and the alien planet in which our heroes venture upon, with Goldsmith trading full-blown levels of acoustic mayhem which is rife within modern-day horrors for carefully constructed moments of squeaks and hums which only enhance the oppressive nature of the film and the sheer predatory nature of its' titular murderous specimen. 

 Alongside the awesomeness of the soundtrack, the truly remarkable set design is a mind-boggling sight to behold, with it to this day being as groundbreaking as it is legendary in its' attempts to create a historic mythology which even in contemporary cinematic circles continues to baffle and blow the minds of every true science fiction fanatic out there who in their obsession with the world in which Scott has created link every clue from every subsequent release in order to understand the through-line to which the world of Alien has plated up since its' inception in 1979. Whilst many favour the James Cameron led sequel in the form of Aliens, the action-packed blockbuster which propelled Sigourney Weaver even more into the realms of cult status, my personal favourite of the franchise will always be Alien, a plain and simple masterpiece of cinema which laid the template for so many films that followed and a movie which ticks all the boxes for what I desire when sitting down and spending time delving into a cinematic universe, and with the direction and masterstroke of Ridley Scott, Alien is the type of cinematic universe which offers so much in return and will continue to do so for centuries to come. This is Ripley, signing off.

Overall Score: 10/10

Film Review: Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Tears In Rain...

Perfection is particularly hard to muster when it comes to cinema. Sure, there are particular films that will always be regarded as masterpieces such as The Godfather, Citizen Kane and Lawrence of Arabia, but mastery and perfection is ultimately down to personal preference. When asked what my all-time favourite film is, I can never pin down one particular movie that I could regard as the “greatest”, but there are certain films that will always be in that particular list such as Donnie Darko, Alien, Mulholland Drive, and finally, Blade Runner. Interestingly, two films within that short and sweet example happen to be directed by Ridley Scott, who, in my opinion, is one of the greatest directors in the history of cinema. Sure, his latest efforts haven’t gone down particularly well, but at the beginning of his career, Scott created films that were wondrous, ground-breaking, and will continue to stand the test of time, Blade Runner included. Because of this, cinemas across the UK this month are showcasing the reissue of Blade Runner: The Final Cut, the supposed definitive version of Scott’s masterpiece, giving me great pleasure in getting the chance to witness one of my most beloved films’ on the big screen for the very first time.

Based on Phillip K. Dick’s novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Scott’s Blade Runner was a film I never truly understood, or even liked, when I first watched it as a young child, with my first savour of the dystopian future in which Harrison Ford’s Deckard hunts down the rogue Nexus-6 replicants, was in its’ “Directors Cut” form, which omitted the divisive voice-over from the original theatrical release as well as adding the now famous unicorn scene and a much more ambiguous ending. Years later, with my love of cinema fully formed, I purchased the “Final Cut” version of the film when released on Blu-Ray and rediscovered a treasure that now I could truly understand, now I could really savour, and now would forever hold a place in my cinematic heart. On the big screen, the film is simply a wonder to behold with the beautiful soundtrack by synth-master Vangelis perfectly accompanying the dark, edgy tone of the movie of which is uncanny in its’ vision of the future where giant advertisements, crowded night clubs and desolate streets hark back to the age-old notion of capitalism, signified by the riches seen during Deckard’s trip to the Murdochian (is that a thing?) Tyrell Corporation.

The film boasts arguably Harrison Ford’s best career performance, who ever-so smoothly slips into the role of Deckard, perfectly portraying a much softer and anxious character than in previous Ford efforts at the time such as Han Solo and Indiana Jones. As good as Ford is, it is no question that the film’s best performer is Rutger Hauer, who in his portrayal of replicant Roy Batty creates one of the most unique scenes of improvisation ever with his beautiful “I've seen things,” speech, that, according to the filmmakers, resulted in some of the crew bursting into tears due to its’ sheer power and unrivaled beauty. What a magical moments it must have been to witness it. Lucky them. Aside from the two leads, Sean Young’s portrayal as Rachael, the denial-ridden replicant love interest of Deckard, succeeds in standing up strongly to her two male counterparts, whilst making the sight of smoking a cigarette look more attractive than I ever thought it possibly could be.

If you haven’t ever had the chance to watch Blade Runner, there is no better time to do so than now, with the option of watching it on the big screen too good an opportunity to turn down. There is something so beautifully haunting about Blade Runner that it draws me in again and again, no matter how many times I choose to watch it. A masterpiece of cinema and a true wonder of science fiction, what more do you want? Enjoy. 

Overall Score: 10/10